Filiu and David B. draw striking parallels between ancient and contemporary poli
tical history in this look at the US-Middle East conflict. The reader is transpo
rted to the pirate-choked Mediterranean sea, where Christians and Muslims contin
ue the crusades, only this time on water. As the centuries pass, the traditional
victims of the Muslim pirates-the British, French, and Spanish-all become empir
e-building powers whose sights lie beyond the Mediterranean.